Dutchess County Historical Society

🌟 History Lovers, Foodies, Families, and Sweethearts - Gather 'round! 🌟
Dutchess County Historical Society (DCHS) Annual Fundraising Auction is LIVE! 🎉
📆 Bidding is open through Nov 17, 2024
🎁 150+ unique experiences, tours, stays, and more
💰 Free registration - bid for local treasures
Your bids support the DCHS 100-year legacy of preserving local history 📚❤️
Join the auction & make history together: https://aarauctions.com/servlet/Search.do?auctionId=7313
Discover more about DCHS, become a member, or donate at https://dchsny.org/auction2024/
🤝

Good News, The DCHS Annual Fundraising Auction is Open for Bidding!

All Lots start at $1 and sell to the highest bidder. Preview Now:
https://aarauctions.com/servlet/Search.do?auctionId=7313

159 Lots of Unique Experiences, Antiques, Fine Art, Collectibles and Gift Certificates are available for bidding now.

Please share this Post, and tell your friends. We need your support, as this is the DCHS’ largest fundraiser to support our Program of Work. Thanks.

EVENT REMINDER!

DCHS will be holding a virtual program THIS THURSDAY, October 24 with DCHS Trustee and Dutchess Community College Professor Dr. Michael Boden. "A Long & Fatiguing Campaign: The 150th NY and Atlanta, May-Sep 1864'" will take place on Zoom at 7PM. This program is a continuation of Dr. Boden's very successful series of talks on the role of Dutchess County in the Civil War.

To register for the event visit: https://dchsny.org/oct24/

The program is free and open to the public. Register today and feel free to spread the word!

Dr. Boden's annual Civil War series would not be possible without generous ongoing sponsorship from CR Properties. Thank you!

PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT!
DCHS will be holding a virtual program on Thursday, October 24 with DCHS Trustee and Dutchess Community College Professor Dr. Michael Boden. "A Long & Fatiguing Campaign: The 150th NY and Atlanta, May-Sep 1864'" will take place on Zoom at 7PM. This program is a continuation of Dr. Boden's very successful series of talks on the role of Dutchess County in the Civil War.

To register for the event visit: https://dchsny.org/oct24/

Dr. Boden's annual Civil War series would not be possible without generous ongoing sponsorship from CR Properties. Thank you!

On Saturday, October 5th DCHS Trustee Marcy Wagman and her guests were treated to a Historic Experience at the Poughkeepsie Reformed Church, Ho**er Avenue.

The Historic Experience was a 2023 Autumn Auction item which Marcy bid on and won. In recognition of the centennial anniversary of the Reformed Church on Ho**er Avenue, former DCHS Trustee and Local Historian Antonia Mauro shared a presentation on the history of the Reformed Church.

After the presentation Marcy and her guests, including DCHS Trustees Eileen Hayden and Melodye Moore, toured the beautiful sanctuary and the Case Memorial Chapel.

Reformed Church members were on hand to host the "Mocktail Reception" that followed. (Note, the church was built during prohibition!) Chip Simon and Cathy Holbrook were gracious hosts and we thank them for their wonderful hospitality.

Many thanks to Reverend Jason Elder for permitting this Historic Experience at the church.

Look for the 2024 Autumn Auction Historic Experiences soon and don't forget to bid!

Dutchess County Historical Society had a wonderful day introducing history to families at Dover Day! Young visitors had fun learning how children played before technology by making thaumatropes, trying embroidery and playing with Jacob’s ladder. They also enjoyed the NYS gala apples we gave out. The DCHS table banner was signed by 75 adults and children.🌟🍏🎃🍎

https://dchsny.org/lafayette-journeys/
Can we learn more relevant lessons from the 1776 founding of the United States by looking at the journeys and achievements of the great and diverse American people who shaped the government over that time? The bicentennial of Lafayette's local visit was reason for us to examine why a local free Black couple, Tom & Jane Williams, named their newborn son Lafayette Williams, shortly after the 1824 visit. Check it out!

The Dutchess County Historical Society (DCHS), and I need your help in obtaining quality items and unique experiences for their Annual Fundraising Auction. For ideas of the kind of donations, here is a link to last year’s auction catalog: https://aarauctions.com/servlet/Search.do?auctionId=6523

I will be donating again: The Hudson River Boat Tour (Lot #99), a Week at“Ram’s Horn” resort in Estes Park, Colorado (Lot #48 and a tour with refreshments of our collection of 19thC Hudson River School paintings (Lot #47) as outlined in last year’s catalog.

Please support the Not-for-profit DCHS with a donation for the auction in support of it’s 100+ years of historic preservation. Feel free to message me with any thoughts. Have fun - Rob.

Yesterday, DCHS marked the bicentennial of Marquis de Lafayette’s 1824 return visit to the United States as the last surviving major general of the Continental Army, exactly two hundred years to the day from Lafeyette’s visit to Poughkeepsie in 1824. The program, which took place at the FDR Presidential Library, included introductory remarks from Executive Director of the American Friends of Lafayette Chuck Schwam, a talk by DCHS Executive Director Bill Jeffway on Lafayette’s many contributions and enduring legacy, and a short play, “Journeys”, by DN Bashir.

We were excited to welcome a packed house of guests representing the Daughters of the American Revolution, the American Friends of Lafayette, and even descendants of Lafayette himself, as well as and assortment of community stakeholders and a collection of local history students.

Special thanks to the staff at the FDR Presidential Library and Museum for hosting the program!

Our final 2024 DCHS award winners are the Hill family, receiving the Historic Preservation Award for their stewardship of “The Grove” in Rhinebeck, the historic octagon house that will also play host to the 2024 Historic Preservation and Awards Celebration on Saturday, June 1.

The Grove at Rhinebeck has been in just two families since 1842. The ancestors of our hosts, the Hill family, have been stewards of the site since 1896. First purchased by the prominent local Wager family, the house was greatly and spectacularly enlarged in the 19th century, likely when it became the home of Walter Livingston, who married into the Wager family. Then in 1930, Anna Hill created a significant but sensitive addition which retained the unique dynamic of octagonal rooms while also creating the space to raise a large family. Today The Grove stands proudly in the village of Rhinebeck and will provide a most appropriate venue for all the 2024 DCHS award winners to accept well-earned recognition for the important work they do advancing Dutchess County history.

To purchase tickets for this event and the rare opportunity to see The Grove, visit the following page and click on the “Buy $100 Tickets” button: https://dchsny.org/june1/

Congratulations to the Hill family, winners of the 2024 Historic Preservation Award!

This is the last week to purchase tickets for the 2024 Historic Preservation & Awards Celebration, taking place on June 1 at the Hill family’s historic octagon house, “The Grove” in Rhinebeck! If you haven’t already, please secure your tickets by visiting https://dchsny.org/june1

We continue introducing our 2024 award winners with Jeff Urbin, Education Specialist, Franklin D. Roosevelt Library & Museum, National Archives & Records Administration. Jeff is receiving the Eileen Mylod Hayden Education Award, which honors Dutchess County teachers who bring innovation and creativity to impart a love and appreciation of local history.

Through his work at the FDR Presidential Library, Jeff has shared the history of all things Roosevelt with countless school groups visiting on field trips, as well as offering programs at local and regional organizations. In recent years, Jeff’s geographic reach has expanded exponentially thanks to the Distance Learning Program now available through the Pare Lorentz Center at the FDR Library. These interactive programs bring the artifacts and documents of the library to students and teachers near and far in real time through video conferencing.

Congratulations to Jeff, the 2024 Eileen Mylod Hayden Education award winner!

The Helen Wilkinson Reynolds Award recognizes achievement in the necessary and accurate pursuit of historical truth embodied by DCHS founder Helen Wilkinson Reynolds. The 2024 award winner is local historian and author Jack Conklin.

Jack is a graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point and a retired businessman, having served as President or board member of several Hudson Valley companies. He has published two books, authoring “Rhinebeck and the History of the Landsman Kill Mills” and transcribing and editing “John J. Conklin’s Account Book, 1791.” He has also written articles for the publications of multiple historical societies including DCHS.

Jack Conklin will be accepting this award at the 2024 Historic Preservation & Awards Celebration at the Hill family’s historic octagon house “The Grove” in Rhinebeck on the afternoon of Saturday, June 1.

To purchase tickets for this event, visit the following page and click on the “Buy $100 Tickets” button: https://dchsny.org/june1/

Congratulations to Jack, the 2024 Helen Wilkinson Reynolds award winner!

The 2024 Dutchess Award winner for exceptional contributions to the Dutchess County community and beyond in the areas of preservation, history, and/or education is the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library & Museum, National Archives & Records Administration.

The stewardship of President Roosevelt’s legacy is of importance on several levels beyond the obvious national importance. FDR was a local historian and founder and active member of the Dutchess County Historical Society. He served as the historian for the Town of Hyde Park even as he was also President of the United States. FDR’s vision to establish the first Presidential Library ensured that Hyde Park and the surrounding areas would be an international tourist destination for generations to come. The interpretation of his legacy and the multitude of programs and exhibitions put on annually by the National Archives & Records Administration at the FDR Presidential Library and Museum provide organizations like DCHS with a model to follow in the county history work we do.

Director William A. Harris will be accepting this award at the 2024 Historic Preservation & Awards Celebration at the Hill family’s historic octagon house “The Grove” in Rhinebeck on the afternoon of Saturday, June 1.

To purchase tickets for this event, visit the following page and click on the “Buy $100 Tickets” button: https://dchsny.org/june1/

Congratulations to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library & Museum, National Archives & Records Administration!

Introducing the 2024 DCHS Business of Historic Distinction, Arnoff Moving & Storage.

This award honors a business that demonstrates a commitment to the culture and values tied to our local history.

Arnoff Moving & Storage, a fifth-generation family-owned and operated transportation company, is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. They provide exceptional household, residential, commercial, library, and museum specialist moving and storage services in the Hudson Valley and Capital Region. Arnoff was key to DCHS’s historic, successful full relocation to Rhinebeck in 2023, which included transporting the entire DCHS archival collection.

Mike Arnoff, President & CEO will of Arnoff Moving & Storage, will be accepting this award at the 2024 Historic Preservation & Awards Celebration at the Hill family’s historic octagon house “The Grove” in Rhinebeck on the afternoon of Saturday, June 1.

To purchase tickets for this event, visit the following page and click on the “Buy $100 Tickets” button: https://dchsny.org/june1/

Congratulations to Arnoff Moving & Storage!

We are excited to share TWO big announcements we have been working on at DCHS! The first is that tickets are ON SALE NOW for our 2024 DCHS Historic Preservation & Awards Celebration. This year, the event will be held at “The Grove”, the 19th-century octagonal home of the Hill family in Rhinebeck.

Taking place from 4-6PM on Saturday, June 1, tickets are $100 per person and can be purchased by visiting https://dchsny.org/june1/ Special thanks to our sponsors, and to the event committee for making this program possible! (More information on sponsorships can be found on the event page linked above)

Our SECOND big announcement is our 2024 DCHS Award Winners! This year, five awards will be given at a special ceremony taking place at 5PM during the open house event on June 1st. The award winners are:

The Dutchess Award: The Franklin D. Roosevelt Library & Museum, National Archives & Records Administration, William A. Harris, Director accepting.

Historic Preservation Award: The Hill Family for Stewardship of “The Grove” in Rhinebeck.

Business of Historic Distinction: Arnoff Moving & Storage, Mike Arnoff, President & CEO accepting.

Helen Wilkinson Reynolds Award: Jack Conklin, independent historian.

Eileen Mylod Hayden Education Award: Jeff Urbin, Education Specialist, Franklin D. Roosevelt Library & Museum, National Archives & Records Administration.

STAY TUNED for more information on each of the award winners who we will be spotlighting throughout the week, and be sure to purchase your tickets to come support the winners and enjoy this very special open house opportunity at “The Grove”!!

Special thanks to the Rhinebeck Fire Department for sharing their 1859 "Pocahontas" pumper for our firefighting exhibition open house 2:00 to 5:30...

Stop by tomorrow, Saturday between 2:00 and 5:00 pm to see the launch of our firefighting exhibit!

Firefighting Exhibit - Dutchess County Historical Society Firefighting Exhibit April 20th 2:00 to 5:30 pm& by appointment. At 6282 Route 9, Rhinebeck, NY 12572. By Melodye Moore A version of this article appeared in the Northern/Southern Dutchess News of April 17. The Dutchess County Historical Society is launching a firefighting exhibition on Saturday, Ap...

Annual Meeting and firefighting exhibition launch announcement from DCHS President Rob Doyle:

Dear members, supporters, and friends,

We are pleased to invite you to our annual meeting as called for in our by-laws. Members in good standing (paid in the past 12 months or are lifetime or honorary members) have voting privileges. Anyone may attend, but voting is limited to those individuals. This will take place at 4:00 pm on Saturday, April 20th, at our 6282 Route 9, Rhinebeck headquarters.

Membership votes are required to fill Trustee vacancies, and to appoint local Vice Presidents. One of the names being put forward for Trustee is Marcy Wagman. She has been a longtime, active DCHS member and supporter and was instrumental in helping us bring to life our exhibition of the life and legacy of Caroline Clowes in 2022.

We will give a brief financial and overall update which I am pleased to say is all very positive.

We are holding the meeting at 4:00 pm on Saturday, April 20th, during a 2:00 to 5:30 pm open house featuring a powerful new exhibition on firefighting in Dutchess County.

Respectfully, Rob Doyle

Registration is requested to attend the annual meeting, but not required to visit the exhibition open house. Register at: https://dchsny.org/april20/

MORE INFORMATION:
Our first major event at our new location is an open house exhibition between 2:00 and 5:30 pm to view the launch of a brand new exhibition looking at firefighting in Dutchess County. The exhibit draws from DCHS Collections and contributions from cities and towns. You will learn about the greater and greater challenges that are met with greater and greater technological advancements and personal commitment from the men and women of the county.

At 4:00, members in good standing (paid in past 12 months or lifetime or honorary members) will be asked to vote at our regular annual meeting where the important, but brief (perhaps 10 minutes) business involves voting in new board members where there are vacancies, and voting in local Vice Presidents for cities and towns. As usual, there is a brief financial summary and overview of DCHS which we are happy to say will be particularly positive this year!

In case you missed it! Our Executive Director Bill Jeffway's February program on Free Black Communities and Maritime Adventure Before the Civil War is now available on-demand through the DCHS Virtual Event Space.

You can view the program and learn about this important history by visiting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T27EiGnMXAw

Special thanks to Dutchess County Government for sponsoring this program and our Virtual Event Space for February!

Dutchess County has a long history of producing skilled women artists. No woman better exemplifies this than accomplished landscape and animal painter, Caroline Morgan Clowes. Nationally known and celebrated during her lifetime, including her work “Cattle at the Brook” being prominently displayed in the main gallery at the 1876 Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, Caroline has had her work and story shared with modern audiences through extensive research and programming here at DCHS. In late 2022, the exhibition “Fertile Ground: The Hudson Valley Animal Paintings of Caroline Clowes,” was presented in a gallery at Locust Grove Estate in Poughkeepsie, which was seen by over 1,000 visitors and featured several dozen of her original works. The increased visibility of Caroline’s exceptional talent has also led to her work being put on view at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College.

Today, the “Fertile Ground” exhibition lives on in virtual form and includes an extensive biography as well as digital scans of Caroline’s paintings and sketches, many of which come from the Hart Hubbard Collection of the Dutchess County Historical Society. To view the four-part online exhibition, visit: https://dchsny.org/fertile-ground-exhibition/

Throughout March, organizations across Dutchess County and beyond are recognizing the many significant contributions of women and celebrating Women’s History Month.

DID YOU KNOW?!

A great deal of credit for the founding and early success of the Dutchess County Historical Society can be attributed to a woman: Helen Wilkinson Reynolds. As a charter member of DCHS in 1914, Ms. Reynolds employed her skills as writer, preservationist, and genealogist to set a standard that we continue to strive to meet today. Additionally, Ms. Reynolds served as Editor for the DCHS Yearbook for over twenty years, developing the approach to publishing that is still in use over 100 years later. At the time of her passing in 1943, she was eulogized by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as the most knowledgeable student of, and contributor to, the county’s history. The legacy of Ms. Reynolds’ contributions to Dutchess County lives on through her work, and through the Helen Wilkinson Reynolds Award, given annually to a Dutchess County researcher that is an exemplar of the necessary and accurate search for the historical truth.

EVENT REMINDER!
Coming up THIS THURSDAY, February 22, DCHS Executive Director Bill Jeffway will offer the program, “Greater Risks, Global Dynamics: New Insights into Local Free Black Communities Before the Civil War” at 7PM on Zoom. The event is FREE and pre-registration is required. To register, visit: https://dchsny.org/feb22/

We hope you can join us!

Special thanks to Dutchess County Government for sponsoring this program and the DCHS Virtual Event Space this month!

2023 AUTUMN AUCTION

Dutchess County Historical Society has moved to our new location in Rhinebeck and our 2023 Fundraiser Autumn Auction of Unique Experiences and Gift Certificates is Officially Underway and ends tomorrow evening at 6:00PM!

The Dutchess County Historical Society Autumn Auction catalog has 115 auction items!

The DCHS catalog is now available to review on the Absolute Auction & Realty website at:

https://aarauctions.biddercentral.com/servlet/Search.do?auctionId=6523&categoryName=&page=1&perPage=20&orderBy=

DCHS does not receive any federal, state or county funding. It relies solely on donations, membership dues and private sponsorships from people like you. Please support the 100+ year old “Mission” of the DCHS that has “collected, preserved and interpreted the history of Dutchess County from the period of the arrival of the first Native Americans until the present day.”

100% of the Bids benefits the DCHS. Every Lot sells to the highest bidder. Payment will be made directly to DCHS, a 501-C3 Not for Profit Corporation. No sales tax will be charged. Website: https://dchsny.org/

Direct Donations can be made here: https://dchsny.org/short/

2023 AUTUMN AUCTION

Dutchess County Historical Society has moved to our new location in Rhinebeck and our 2023 Fundraiser Autumn Auction of Unique Experiences and Gift Certificates is Officially Underway!

This year the Dutchess County Historical Society Autumn Auction catalog has 114 auction items!

The DCHS catalog is now available to review on the Absolute Auction & Realty website at:

https://aarauctions.biddercentral.com/servlet/Search.do?auctionId=6523&categoryName=&page=1&perPage=20&orderBy=

Until the day of the Autumn Auction, November 5th, DCHS will feature on our page a few the unique experiences or gift certificates which have been generously donated to help us achieve our fundraising goal.

Please share these posts with your family and friends!

DCHS does not receive any federal, state or county funding. It relies solely on donations, membership dues and private sponsorships from people like you. Please support the 100+ year old “Mission” of the DCHS that has “collected, preserved and interpreted the history of Dutchess County from the period of the arrival of the first Native Americans until the present day.”

100% of the Bids benefits the DCHS. Every Lot sells to the highest bidder. Payment will be made directly to DCHS, a 501-C3 Not for Profit Corporation. No sales tax will be charged. Website: https://dchsny.org/

Direct Donations can be made here: https://dchsny.org/short/